The first casino and hotel is under construction in the Primorsky region of Russia.
Following the ban on casinos that came into effect in 2009, only four designated gambling zones are permitted to house casinos. To date, only two casinos are in operation in the Azov gambling zone.
Earlier this year, OJSC Nash Dom Primorye, a company owned by the Primorsky regional government, issued a request for concepts from potential investors seeking to develop casino and other entertainment facilities there.
RIA Novosti reports that work on the first such project is under way and that the first stage of the gambling zone development is scheduled for completion in 2015.
Regional governor Vladimir Miklushevsky said that the gambling zone will serve as an “anchor” for future investment. “In the modern tourism business, income from the gambling zone itself makes from 30 to 40 percent of all tourism revenues,” he said. “The rest comes from other sources, such as amusement parks and shopping centres.”
